Electric utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, will be penalised by the Energy Commission of Malaysia (ST) for committing several violations. This was mentioned by Yeo Bee Yin, the Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change during a media interview.
The Minister shared that the total penalty amount will be revealed after the Energy Commission submits its full list of violations committed by TNB. According to her, initial investigations found the company has failed to meet the Ministry’s standard service performance. She insists TNB has violated the Electricity Supply Act 1990 and what has happened recently was caused by a technical glitch.
Before the Hari Raya holidays, the utility company has addressed 50% of complaints and the Ministry is still waiting for the latest update. Yeo Bee Yin has also urged TNB to be more diligent when it comes to providing electricity supply. As a service provider and a license holder, TNB must ensure that it delivers high service levels to avoid causing any burden to its consumers.
She also added that the Energy Commission, which acts as a regulatory body, must take stern action on any service providers that have failed to adhere to its own performance standards. The commission was instructed to investigate TNB after receiving more than 300 complaints of overbilling.
The Minister shared that there are two options to deal with the violation. TNB can either face court action or penalty, and imposing a penalty would be the easier option.
On 31st May 2019, TNB had revealed at a press conference that there was a system glitch between 15th-20th May 2019. As a result, some customers may receive a bill with a billing period beyond 30 days. TNB has assured that customers will not be charged with higher tariffs as the bill will pro-rate accordingly.
It was reported that TNB had received a total of 14,469 complaints for the month of April and May, and they have resolved 11,331 complaints as of 31st May. They have also announced deferment of disconnection notices by two weeks for pending cases. TNB also assures that customers will get a credit back in their bills if they are proven to be overcharged.
[ SOURCE, IMAGE SOURCE ]
